


Stand By Me

by Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015



Series: The Fire in My Heart [1]
Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-10-08 06:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17381219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015/pseuds/Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015
Summary: When it came to fighting fires Taylor was on top form, but life outside of work was a mess and sometimes it was a struggle to get through the day.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a burning inferno. The blazing hot flames engulfed everything in its path, making it hard for Taylor to move through the apartment complex and search for victims.

 _‘Taylor, report,’_ came Chief Boden’s deep voice over her radio.

 _‘The second floor is clear so far, Chief,’_ Taylor replied, scanning her surroundings and listening closely as she made her presence known, “Fire department... call out.”

“Here,” she heard a muffled voice respond as she entered another apartment.

Heading towards the voice she had heard, Taylor quickly located a woman and a small child huddled together in the corner of a room. Taking the small child into her arms, she rested him on her hip and helped, who she assumed was the mother, to her feet.

“Let’s get you both out of here,” Taylor told them, wrapping her arm around the woman’s waist to support her and leading them towards the stairs.

Getting them outside to the waiting paramedics, Taylor removed her mask to get some fresh air and then went back in to finish her search. Approaching the final apartment, Taylor got the door open and stepped inside.

Hearing the sound of someone groaning, she made her way into a small, smoke-filled bedroom and scanned the room for the source of the sound. Spotting someone lying on the ground, Taylor immediately crouched down beside the guy and rolled him over.

Spotting the blood on his shirt, she carefully lifted it to see what she was dealing with and grunted as a fist connected with her mask, knocking her back onto her butt. Watching as the man struggled to his feet with wild panic in his eyes, she moved to stand and instantly regretted the decision as a foot connected with her stomach.

“Stay away from me,” the man shouted as he towered over her threateningly.

“I’m trying to help you,” Taylor told him, groaning as the guy took off and disappeared into the building, “Damn it.”

Pushing herself to her feet, Taylor stumbled towards the door and went outside. Scanning the street as she again removed her mask, she spotted the guy being shown to an ambulance and rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“Are you okay?” Shay asked as Taylor leaned against the fire truck.

“Yeah, just an uncooperative victim,” Taylor replied, pressing her hand to her stinging lip and looking at it to find blood.

Taylor was silent on the way back to firehouse 51, jumping from the truck and heading to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she ran her tongue over her split lip and took note of the soon to be bruise on her cheek.

Exiting the bathroom, she made her way into the rec room and poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting up on the counter, she listened as Otis told one of his many stories and chuckled lightly when Cruz threw a skittle at him to shut him up. Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Taylor retrieved it and instantly rejected the incoming call from her ex-boyfriend. Jumping off of the counter, she put her empty cup in the sink and went to find Shay.

“Hey,” Shay greeted with a smile, “What’s up?”

“Are you still looking for another roommate?”

“I am,” Shay said with a slight frown, “I thought you already had a place.”

“I do, but you were right...” Taylor mumbled, “I need a change of scenery.”

“Then the rooms yours,” Shay replied with a grin, pulling Taylor into a hug, “This is going to be fun.”

Smiling, Taylor nodded in agreement and felt a weight lift from her shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

Grabbing a few hours of sleep, Taylor slipped on her boots and headed to the roof. Pulling her jacket closer around her, she sat in one of the chairs and watched as night gave way to a brand-new day. Hearing the door behind her open, she looked around and smiled as Severide joined her.

“Hey,” he said, handing her a steaming cup of coffee and taking a seat next to her, “Word around the firehouse is that we’re going to be roommates.”

“My living situation is really the hot gossip for this shift, huh?” Taylor replied, earning a nod and taking a sip of her drink, “At least it’s true this time.”

“I thought you had a place with that guy you were seeing.”

“It’s not working out,” Taylor told him with a shrug, not wanting to discuss Greg or their relationship.

“You want to talk about it?” Severide asked.

“Not really,” Taylor mumbled, “The last thing I need is my failing relationship being the next hot topic around here...”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“There’s really nothing to talk about.”

“Well, you know where I am...”

 _’A million miles from where I want you to be’_ Taylor thought as the alarm sounded and they both jumped up, rushing downstairs. Getting ready in record time, she jumped in the truck and sat in silence as they made their way to the scene.

Jumping from the truck, Taylor took in the carnage that surrounded her and got straight to work. Scrabbling up the side of an overturned lorry, she looked in through the window and immediately yanked open the door.

“Taylor,” Casey shouted, “What you got?”

“One unconscious male with visible head injury,” Taylor replied, mapping out her way down inside the cab of the truck and waiting for Casey to join her before carefully lowering herself inside.

Positioning herself, so that she didn’t injure the driver further, she placed her fingers on the side of his windpipe just below his jawbone and felt a pulse under her touch.

“Taylor?”

“I’ve got a pulse,” Taylor called, reaching up to retrieve the med pack that Casey was lowering down and immediately placing the oxygen mask on the man’s face accompanied by a c-collar.

“Severide, we need squad over here,” Casey yelled.

Listening to the shouts coming from the others outside the truck, Taylor knew that something was wrong and tried to push back the slight panic she felt. Returning her attention to the driver as he started to come around, she held the oxygen mask in place and tried her best to keep him calm.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Taylor told him, keeping her voice calm and soft, “I’m Taylor, what’s your name?”

“Kurt.”

“Okay Kurt,” Taylor added as she shifted a little to look at him, “I know that every instinct in your body is going to be telling you to just get out of here... away from the danger, but I need you to fight it and keep really still for me.”

“Just get me out of here.”

“We’re working on it,” Taylor promised, “How long have you been driving trucks for?”

“Coming up to fifteen years,” Kurt answered quietly, grimacing slightly and closing his eyes.

“Kurt,” Taylor called, “Kurt, I need you to stay with me... do you have a family?”

“An ex-wife and two boys,” Kurt informed her as Squad appeared at the windshield.

“How old are your boys?” Taylor inquired, sending Severide a look that told him to hurry up and looking back to Kurt as he spoke.

“Tommy will be eleven next week and Corey is five.”

“Taylor, cover your face,” Severide ordered, causing Taylor to use her jacket to create a barrier and flinching slightly as the glass behind her was removed, “Okay Taylor, I need you to swap places with Capp...”

“You’re in good hands, Kurt,” Taylor reassured the man, climbing out the front window and watching as Squad got to work.

Pulled away to help truck pack away their equipment, Taylor looked around just in time to see Kurt being loaded into the back of the ambulance and hoped that he would be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

Grabbing her stuff from her locker once the shift had finished, Taylor left the firehouse and headed home. Stepping into the small apartment, she was happy to find that Greg wasn’t around and went straight to her room as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

 _’Sev and I will be over at noon to help you with your stuff,’_ she read with a smile.

 _’Thanks,’_ she responded quickly as she got started on packing up her things.

Noon soon arrived and Taylor opened the door as someone honked their car horn, chuckling when she spotted Shay grinning at her from the passenger seat of Severide’s truck. Putting the last box in the bed of the truck, she gave the apartment one last sweep for anything she missed and returned to where the others were waiting.

“You all set?” Severide inquired.

“Yeah,” Taylor replied, hearing her name being called and pushing down the fear that crept into her chest as she turned to face Greg.

“What’s going on?” he asked, shifting his gaze between Taylor and the truck.

“I told you already, I’m moving out...” Taylor said, removing the door key from her key chain and handing it to Greg, “I’ll post my final part of the rent payment next week.”

“You were just going to leave?” Greg added angrily, causing Taylor to flinch and instinctively step back, “We can fix this, Taylor... I love you.”

“There’s nothing to fix... I’m done,” Taylor mumbled, climbing into the truck and taking a deep breath.

Moving her stuff into her new room, Taylor felt the last remnants of weight lift from her chest and laid back on her bed with a sigh.

“Howdy roommate,” Shay greeted as she appeared in the doorway, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” Taylor replied without hesitation.

“We’re going to head over to Molly’s later, do you want to come?” Shay inquired, sitting down on Taylor’s bed and handing her a key.

“I might do.”

Catching up on some much-needed sleep, Taylor woke up to her alarm and went downstairs to find the place empty. Pouring herself a glass of water, she spotted a folded piece of paper with her name on it and opened it to find a note from Shay.

_‘There’s a beer or two with your name on at Molly’s if you decide to come.’_

Smiling, Taylor went to get ready and locked up before walking over to Molly’s. Stepping inside out of the evening chill, she fought against the urge to flee and smiled as Cruz called her name. Taking off her jacket, she joined the group at the bar and nodded in thanks as Herrmann handed her a beer.

“So Taylor,” Mills said as she took a swig of her second beer, “What made you want to become a firefighter?”

“Firefighting wasn’t actually one of my career choices growing up,” Taylor replied as everyone fell silent around her, “From the age of sixteen I had my mind set on joining the military, I wanted to be a dog handler on the front line and get as far away from this city as I could.”

“What changed your mind?” Herrmann added.

“Nothing... it’s still an option,” Taylor mumbled, keeping her gaze on the beer bottle in her hand and continuing, “I chose firefighting because I want to be able to help people... it gives me a purpose and I look pretty damn good in the uniform.”

“That you do, girl... that you do,” Shay agreed with a wink, wrapping her arms around Taylor from behind and kissing her cheek.

Grinning up at the blonde, Taylor drank some more of her beer and listened as the conversation turned to hockey. She had never really had a place that she could call home, but firehouse 51 was a sanctuary for her and the people that surrounded her at that moment were family. Each one had a different story... their own skeletons in their closets and Taylor knew that they would never judge her for where she came from.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up early the following morning, Taylor headed out for a run and returned to find Severide lounging on the sofa with a cup of coffee in his hands. Making her way straight upstairs to take a shower, she got changed and grabbed her backpack from under her bed.

“What’s your plan for today, Tay?” Shay asked as Taylor poured herself a coffee.

“I have a few things to do, but I’m free this evening if you want to grab a movie or something,” Taylor suggested, earning a nod from Shay in response and turning her attention to Severide, “Speaking of things to do, Sev, are you busy today?”

“Not unless you call sitting in front of the television busy,” Severide replied, looking at her over the back of the sofa, “How come?”

“Would you be able to help me with something?”

“Sure.”

Finishing her coffee, Taylor climbed into Severide’s truck and gave him directions. Jumping out as they pulled up outside a rundown looking two-story house, she approached the front door and let herself in.

“Taylor... sweetie, is that you?” came a soft female voice from somewhere inside as she stepped over the threshold.

“It’s me, Mrs. Caswell,” Taylor stated, looking back at Severide and motioning for him to follow.

Leading him down the hallway, she entered the final room on the right and smiled.

“It’s good to see you and you’ve brought a friend…"

“This is Kelly,” Taylor introduced, setting her bag down and removing her jacket, “Kel, this is Mrs. Caswell.”

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Severide added.

“Handsome and charming... it’s nice to meet you too, Kelly,” Mrs. Caswell replied, before shifting her gaze back to Taylor, “Is he one of your boys?”

“He’s a firefighter at 51,” Taylor confirmed with a chuckle, “I thought that he could help me move that cabinet that you want shifting.”

“That would be nice,” Mrs. Caswell agreed, “I’ll make you both a cup of tea.”

It took them an hour to move the cabinet, making sure that it was stable and putting Mrs. Caswell’s things back on the shelves. Making the older lady some lunch, Taylor made sure that there was nothing else she needed and followed Severide back outside.

Having already planned to get lunch, she convinced him to leave his truck where it was parked and took him to a nearby diner. There was nothing special about the small establishment, just another family business trying to make it in a neighborhood rife with gang activity and drugs.

“So, this is what you do on your downtime?” Severide inquired as they waited for their food to be brought out, earning a nod from Taylor, “How long have you been helping Mrs. Caswell?”

“About two years,” Taylor replied, “I met her just before I started at 51... here actually, she used to come here every week with her husband until he died and then she stopped coming. She doesn’t leave the house anymore, so I go in when I can and help her out with things that she needs doing.”

Falling into a comfortable conversation as they ate, Taylor felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and retrieved it to find a text from Shay. [i]‘Freeze! Snap a picture of whatever is in front of you.’[/i] Chuckling, she showed Severide the text and took a picture of him.

“Lunch is on me,” Severide announced as Taylor sent Shay the picture, causing Taylor to look up and open her mouth to argue, “No arguments.”

Finishing her food, Taylor waited for Severide to pay and then fell into step beside him as they headed back to the truck. Laughing at something he said as they pulled up outside their apartment building, Taylor jumped out with a smile and paused as she spotted Greg waiting for her.

“I found some of your stuff,” he said, motioning to a box at his feet, “Can we talk?”

“Thanks for bringing my stuff back, but there’s nothing for us to talk about,” Taylor replied, picking the box up with a frown and following Severide inside.

Going straight to her room, she sat on her bed and ran a hand over her face. She hadn’t told Greg where she had moved to, but somehow, he had found out and that scared her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains Scenes of someone being talked down from a bridge!

Sitting on the kitchen counter at the firehouse the next day, Taylor decorated the cakes she had made and laughed as Shay slapped Mills’ hand away from the bowl of frosting. Adding the completed cupcake to the tray, she grabbed the next one and had just applied the frosting when the first call of the shift came in.

Putting it to one side, she jumped down and headed out to the truck. It didn’t take them long to reach the scene, finding a large group of onlookers already gathered with their phones out and following Boden over to the police officer in charge.

“What have we got?” Boden asked, his voice filled with power and authority.

“A young boy about sixteen,” the police officer explained, “We’ve tried talking him down, but he won’t listen and shifts away from us every time we approach.”

“Chief,” Taylor said as she looked over at the young boy sitting precariously on the bridge railing, “Let me talk to him before we do anything...”

“Okay,” Boden agreed, watching as Taylor removed her jacket and took it as she made her way forward.

“Don’t come any closer,” the boy shouted, prompting her to pause and raise her hands.

“I just want to talk,” Taylor replied gently.

“All anybody wants to do is talk, but nobody is ever willing to listen...” the boy argued angrily.

“Try me... my names Taylor, what’s yours?”

“Cameron.”

“I can’t listen from all the way over here, Cameron, how about you let me join you at the railings?” Taylor inquired, continuing when her request was met with silence, “I promise, I won’t touch you and my hands will be in full view the whole time.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to start by telling me what happened?”

“They just don’t listen,” Cameron mumbled, “I’ve tried to tell them that I can’t be the person that they want me to be, but they have all these expectations and they won’t accept anything less... this is my only way out.”

“That’s not true, Cameron...”

“Yes it is, they’ll never accept the person I am or the career that I choose.”

“There’s someone in your life that does accept you though, right?” Taylor added, “That one person who has your back and supports every decision you make... what’s their name?”

“Corey... his name is Corey,” Cameron said, looking over at her and closing his eyes momentarily as tears rolled down his cheek.

“I’ve been where you are now, Cameron, I’ve stood at the edge of that imaginary cliff in your head...” Taylor admitted, knowing that time was essential and that the chief wouldn’t give her much longer, “I’ve had that moment where I’ve looked back and found nobody there to help me, but if you look closer, dig deeper, you’ll realize that that isn’t true.”

“Corey?” Cameron questioned with a slight frown.

“You will always have him to bring you back from that point of finality, whether he is just a memory or beside you in the flesh,” Taylor answered with a smile, knowing that she had gotten through to him, “Why don’t you come back over onto this side of the railing for me?”

Holding out her hand for him to take, Taylor held her breath as she watched a flash of hesitation in Cameron’s eyes and let it out as he took it in his own. Helping him over to safety, she handed him over to the police and leaned against the railing to rein in her own emotions.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked back to find Casey and nodded to show that she was ready to head back. Taking a deep breath, she retrieved her jacket from Boden and followed her team back to the truck.

“Taylor,” Boden called as she headed towards the kitchen, causing her to stop and look back at him, “Good job out there.”

“Thanks, chief.”

Looking over to where squad was playing cards, she found Severide watching her and threw him a smile to tell him that she was okay. Finishing up with her cupcakes, Taylor volunteered to make lunch and threw together a simple pasta salad with chicken. Leaning against the kitchen counter as everyone ate, she stared into the cup of coffee she had made herself and snapped back to reality as someone gently nudged her shoulder.

“Looking for anything specific at the bottom of that cup?” Shay asked with a smile.

“Answers to my life,” Taylor mumbled, glancing up as Shay put her arms around her from behind and rested her chin on Taylor’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that one of those answers is sitting out at the table with squad...”

Glancing over at Severide, Taylor sighed and rested her head against Shay’s. She had liked him for a long time, but she also knew that he deserved better than what she could offer and didn’t want to become just another name on his fairly long list of one-night stands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taylor gets a visit!

The next few hours were slow at the firehouse and Taylor was in the middle of a game of cards with Otis, when Herrmann walked in.

“Taylor, there’s someone to see you out on the apparatus floor,” he informed her, causing Taylor to frown and set her cards down.

“Do not even think about looking at my cards, Otis,” Taylor warned, heading out and smiling when she saw who it was, “Cameron...”

“Hi,” Cameron replied with a smile, “I know that you’re working, but I just wanted to come by and say thank you.”

“It’s not necessary,” Taylor added, accepting the flowers and chocolates that he handed her, “How'd it go at the hospital?”

“It went great actually, I spoke to a doctor there and he’s going to refer me to a therapist,” Cameron told her, motioning to the boy standing beside him, “This is Corey... my boyfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Corey.”

“You too.”

“Anyway, we really need to get to class,” Cameron stated, hugging Taylor and walking towards the exit.

“Hey Cameron,” Taylor called, causing the young boy to stop and look back at her, “I know that life can get hard sometimes, but it’ll get better and in time you’ll figure out that you’re worth so much more than some people believe.”

Nodding, the boys left and Taylor returned to the kitchen. Finding a vase to put her flowers in, she sat back down at the table where Otis was still waiting and picked up her cards to resume their game. Knowing that Otis had tampered with the deck of cards on the table, she decided to play dumb and grinned as she laid her winning hand on the table in the front of him.

“How?” Otis asked in disbelief.

“Talent... pure, non-cheating talent,” Taylor joked as she looked over at Casey, “Lieutenant, Otis is taking over equipment check for me for the next three shifts and is buying the first round at Molly’s after shift.”

“Noted,” Casey confirmed in amusement.

Grabbing herself a can of soda, she joined Mouch on the sofa and settled in to watch the film that he was currently engrossed in. Spotting Boden enter the room out the corner of her eye, she turned to in her seat and listened as he spoke.

“Just a reminder that Saturday is the firehouse barbecue and I expect everyone to be there.”

Putting some of her cupcakes on a plate, she took them out to the ambulance and sat on the back of the rig as Shay finished her checks. Looking over as Boden’s assistant sauntered across the apparatus floor, Taylor watched as she threw the guys a flirty smile and jumped as Shay scoffed beside her.

“I’m going to ask Severide to the barbecue,” Taylor announced out of the blue, biting into a cupcake and looking over at Shay for her opinion.

“Finally,” Shay replied.

Standing up, Taylor listened as the alarms went off and dropped the empty plate she was holding on the table as she rushed to get ready. The fire was already bad by the time they arrived, ripping through the third floor and taking out anything it touched.

Putting on her mask, she ran straight in without hesitation and headed up to the burning floor with Cruz in tow. Calling out, she felt her heart sink as no one responded and pushed on with the search. Stumbling across their first victim, she checked for a pulse and shook her head as Cruz took the body outside.

It was a further ten minutes before they had finished their search, finding two more fatalities and removing them from the blaze as Boden called for them to evacuate. Dropping onto a small grass bank as engine dealt with the flames, Taylor ran a hand over her face and looked up as Severide offered her a bottle of water.

“This was a bad one,” Severide commented as he crouched down beside her.

“Yeah,” Taylor mumbled, taking a deep breath and shifting her gaze to the ground as she continued, “Do you want to go to the barbecue with me on Saturday?”

“Like a date?” Severide added.

“Like dipping our toes in the water, before jumping into the unknown,” Taylor said, glancing over at him and seeing the smile on his face.

“That sounds good to me,” Severide agreed with a nod.

Getting to her feet, Taylor stared up at the building and followed Severide over to where the others were gathered. She knew as a firefighter that you couldn't possibly save everyone, but that didn’t make the ones you lost any easier to accept and her brain swam with the usual _what if_ questions. _What if they had gotten there sooner? What if she had searched quicker? What if she was better?_


	7. Chapter 7

Watching as Casey approached her the following morning, Taylor spotted the clipboard in his hand and groaned. Taking it without a word, she went out to the truck and got started on the truck inventory. Making sure that the halligan was in its compartment, she slammed it shut and grabbed her phone as it vibrated in her pocket to find a text from Greg.

_‘I need that rent money as soon as possible.’_

Feeling her stomach churn at the thought of dropping the money off after shift, she deleted the text without responding and finished her duties. The rest of the shift was relatively quiet and Taylor arranged to meet everyone at Molly’s, before walking the half an hour journey to Greg’s place.

Posting the envelope through the letterbox, she left without another thought and made her way home to shower. Knowing that the others were probably sleeping, she settled on the sofa and turned on the television.

Unsure when she drifted off, she woke up to the sound of something breaking and someone cursing softly under their breath. Giving her brain a moment to fully wake up, she peered over the back of the sofa and watched as Severide cleaned up whatever he had broken.

“Need some help over there,” she called with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“I think I’ve got it covered,” Severide replied with a chuckle, “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Taylor added, checking the time and noting that it was a little after noon, “Boden roped me into baking some stuff for the barbecue tomorrow, but I can’t decide whether to do cookies or a cake?”

“Peanut butter cookies,” she heard Shay shout from upstairs, “Plus some chocolate chip ones for anyone allergic to nuts...”

“Any other requests?” Taylor said.

“If you’re offering, I wouldn’t say no to some of those s'more cookies you baked for my birthday,” Shay added as she appeared on the spiral staircase that led to her room, “Please.”

“I suppose so,” Taylor agreed, padding over to the kitchen and making a list of what she needed, “I need to pick some stuff up from the store, do you guys want anything?”

“I’ll take you if you want some company,” Severide offered, earning a nod from Taylor and grabbing his jacket.

The trip to the store was quick and Taylor soon found herself in the kitchen, working on the first batch of chocolate chip cookies with Shay’s help. After nearly four hours of baking, she placed the final batch on the cooling rack to cool off and got ready to head to Molly’s.

The small bar was surprisingly busy for a weekday, but they didn’t find it hard to locate the others in their usual corner and joined them. Smiling as Otis handed them a drink, Taylor leaned against the bar and listened as everyone started talking about the shift.

After a couple of beers, she decided to call it a night and headed home. Waking up early the following morning, she got dressed and made her way to the kitchen where Severide was already sitting.

“Morning,” he greeted with a smile, pouring a cup of coffee and handing it to her.

“Thanks,” Taylor replied, sorting the cookies to take to the barbecue and grabbing herself a cereal bar from the cupboard.

“Shay said that she’d meet us there,” Severide informed her as he washed up his breakfast bowl.

Nodding in response, she slipped on her jacket and collected the cookies as she followed Severide out the front door. Everyone had already arrived by the time they climbed out the truck, greeting the chief with a smile and placing the cookies on the table.

Leaving Severide to talk to Casey, Taylor went to get them a drink and handed him a beer as she returned. Scanning the crowd for Shay, she quickly spotted the blonde approaching with Corrine in tow and smiled at them both. They had been talking for nearly an hour, when she heard Otis call her name and looked over at him questioningly.

“There’s someone looking for you,” Otis said as he reached them, motioning back in the direction he had just come from and continuing, “The guys on shift told him that you’d be here.”

Glancing over to where Otis had pointed, Taylor immediately saw who it was and stood up. Hesitating momentarily, she took a deep breath and made her way over to where the man was standing.

“Hi, Taylor.”

“What are you doing here, dad?” Taylor asked icily.

“Come on, tatertot, don’t be like that,” her dad stated, “I heard that there was a family barbecue and thought I’d stop by to see my daughter...”

“Don’t call me that,” Taylor mumbled, feeling anger rise in her chest and tears form in her eyes, “Just tell me why you’re really here...”

“I need to borrow some money.”


	8. Chapter 8

Scoffing in disbelief, Taylor shook her head and turned to walk away.

“Taylor,” her dad said, stepping forward and grabbing her arm, “Please don’t walk away...”

“Funny that, I remember asking you not to leave once...” Taylor replied, pulling her arm from his grasp and continuing, “Now the only time I see you is when you need something from me.”

“That’s...”

“You’re right about one thing though, this is a family barbecue and my family is already here.”

“Is everything okay?” Boden asked as he joined them.

“Everything is fine, Chief,” Taylor told him, offering him a small smile and looking back to her dad, “He was just leaving...”

Walking back to the others, Taylor swallowed past the lump in her throat and sat down next to Severide without a word. Feeling her chest tighten, she knew immediately that she was on the verge of having a panic attack and took a sip of her beer.

“Are you okay?” Severide inquired, earning a nod from Taylor and frowning slightly, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Nodding again, they said bye to Shay and headed to the truck. Sitting in the passenger seat, Taylor stared out the window and let her mind wander.

_‘Creeping along the hallway, Taylor peered around the door of her parent’s room and watched as her dad threw clothes into a bag._

_“Daddy...” Taylor called, frowning when he simply zipped up the bag and stormed past her towards the front door._

_“That’s it run away,” her mom shouted from the living room, “It’s what you’re good at after all.”_

_“Please don’t leave, daddy...” Taylor begged as tears ran down her cheeks, “I’ll be good.”_

_Without pause, her dad opened the door and slammed it shut as he left.’_

Snapping back to reality, Taylor noticed that they were heading in the wrong direction for the apartment and looked over at Severide with a frown.

“The apartment is back the other way.”

“I asked if you wanted to get out of there, I said nothing about going home,” Severide stated.

“Where are we going then?”

“You’ll see.”

Settling back in her seat, Taylor listened to the music playing on the stereo and felt herself relax a little. Getting out as Severide parked up outside the Willis Tower, she joined him on the pavement and reluctantly followed him inside.

“I’ve never been up here,” Taylor said as they exited the elevator on the 103rd floor.

“I haven’t been since I was seeing Renee,” Severide admitted quietly.

“Do you bring all the girls here?” Taylor teased, stepping on the glass balcony and taking in the view.

“Only the ones I care about.”

“The guy at the barbecue was my dad,” Taylor told him, keeping her gaze on the city beyond the glass and continuing, “The reason I don’t talk about my parents is because they’re not a part of my life, unless they want something and then they hang around just long enough to get it before disappearing again.”

“What did your dad want?” Severide asked.

“Money, probably to buy drugs or pay off whatever dealer he’s gotten involved with. That’s why I don’t talk about him or my mom, I don’t want people thinking that I am like them... I’m nothing like them.”

“No one at the firehouse would ever think that...”

Spending another ten minutes taking in the sight of the city below their feet, they left and made their way home. Realizing that neither of them had eaten, Taylor made them both some food and sat on the sofa to watch a movie.

“Thank you for today,” Taylor stated, once the movie had finished and Severide was washing up the plates, “I’m sorry for dragging you away from the barbecue.”

“You didn’t drag me away from anything,” Severide replied, putting the plates away and turning to face Taylor as she sat up on the counter, “I know that you’ve just come out of a relationship and I don’t want to pressure you into anything you’re not ready for, but I do want to spend more time with you.”

“As friends?”

“I was actually hoping that you’d agree to go out to dinner with me tomorrow, but if friends is all you want...”

“Dinner sounds good,” Taylor agreed with a smile.

“Any preference on where we eat?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

Heading over to see Mrs. Caswell, Taylor helped her with a few things that she needed doing around the house and agreed to stay for dinner. Taylor loved listening to the elderly lady talk about her late husband, it was clear that he meant everything to her and it gave her a warm feeling inside knowing that love like that existed.

“He would have liked you,” Mrs. Caswell added with a fond smile, “Our sons were his world and he adored them with everything he had, but there was always that silent hope that we’d have a girl one day.”

“He sounds like a great man.”

“He was and one day I will be back with him, where I belong.”


	9. Chapter 9

Agreeing to meet Severide at her favorite diner the following evening, Taylor arrived early and took a deep breath as she entered. She had spent plenty of time with him in the past, but this was their first official date and that made her anxious. Spotting Severide already waiting, she made her way over and took a seat beside him with a smile.

“Hey,” he said, looking up from the menu he had been browsing and returning Taylor’s smile.

“Hey yourself,” Taylor replied.

Falling into a comfortable conversation, Taylor felt her anxiety slowly dissipate and realized that the date was no different to when they were just hanging out as friends.

“Okay, I have a question for you,” Severide stated, once they had left the diner and decided to take a walk through a nearby park, “What are you most proud of in your life?”

“That’s easy, making it through the academy,” Taylor answered without hesitation, “What is the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?”

“Finding out how bad my neck injury was and going through the surgery with the knowledge that I may never be able to return to squad,” Severide admitted, putting his arm around Taylor as she involuntarily shivered and guiding her back towards the truck, “There’s nothing scarier than the possibility of losing something that means everything to you... wanna head home and see what Shay’s up too?”

“Sure,” Taylor replied, welcoming the warmth of the truck and smiling as Severide turned on the heater.

Walking into the apartment, Taylor hung up her jacket and went into the living room. Seeing Shay curled up on the sofa with Corrine watching television, she made them all some hot chocolate and smiled as she placed them on the table.

Joining them on the sofa, Taylor smiled at Shay and settled back as Severide again wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Heading to bed a while later, she drifted straight off to sleep and woke up early the next morning for work.

“Late night?” Mouch asked as she dropped onto the sofa in the rec room.

“I actually went to bed at a reasonable time,” Taylor argued, “I just didn’t sleep very well.”

“That brain of yours never shuts off,” Mouch commented.

“She was thinking about me,” Shay added with a grin as she poured herself a coffee.

“Always,” Taylor teased, winking at the blonde and chuckling.

Jumping up as the alarms rang out, Taylor slipped on her turnout gear and got on the truck as Cruz pulled out of the firehouse. Getting to the scene, they all got out and looked up at the scene.

“Is that scaffolding secure?” Boden asked the foreman as he approached them.

“To a point,” the foreman told him, “Elliot was up there securing it on the roof level, but he slipped and fell before it was fully secure. It’s unsteady, so too much weight or movement will cause it to tip completely.”

“Understood,” Boden confirmed, looking up at the scaffolding and turning to Taylor who was the lightest member of the entire crew, “Looks like you’re swapping to squad for this one, who do you want up there with you?”

“Severide and Casey,” Taylor replied, earning nods from both men and removing her jacket.

Taking the stairs to the third floor, Taylor let Severide set up her harness and nodded as he attached her line.

“Take your time out there,” Severide instructed as they moved over to the large opening that would allow her access to the scaffolding, “Keep your weight as evenly distributed as you can... be careful.”

Stepping out onto the scaffolding, Taylor shuffled forward slowly and paused as the scaffolding shifted slightly under her feet. Reaching the workman, she checked his pulse and then looked him over for obvious injuries.

 _‘This guy is going into shock’_ Taylor stated over the radio, _‘The wounds on his face look superficial, but he's got his left leg caught up in barbed wire and he’s lost a lot of blood.’_

 **‘Are you able to free his leg from the wire?’** Casey inquired.

_‘It’s embedded deep in his skin.’_

**‘You’re going to need to cut him free’** Severide added.

Retrieving her wire cutters from her bag, Taylor examined the wire that was holding the man’s leg in place and made four cuts in order to free it without causing more damage.

 _‘He’s free’_ Taylor announced, _‘How are we getting him down?’_

 **‘We’re going to use the ladder’** Boden informed her.

Getting Elliot onto the stokes basket was difficult with his leg still wrapped up in wire, but finally, they managed and got him safely onto the ladder. Turning to head back to where Severide was waiting with Casey, Taylor carefully moved forward and stepped back into the main structure of the building. Standing still, Taylor waited for Severide to remove the harness and returned to the truck to head back to Firehouse 51.


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting at the table in the rec room with the rest of truck, Taylor flicked through a sports magazine and looked up as Boden walked in with two fresh-faced candidates in tow.

“Listen up, this is Rebecca Ferguson and Aaron Porter,” Boden explained, “They will be here for the next six months, learning the ropes of 51 and seeing if they have what it takes to survive in the CFD. Taylor, I’ll leave you in charge of introductions...”

“Chief,” Taylor replied with a nod, standing up and moving over to the newcomers with a smile, “So, introductions... this is the truck crew, Otis, Cruz, Herrmann, Mouch, Mills, and our fearless leader Lieutenant Casey.”

“Welcome to 51,” Casey added as Taylor led them out onto the apparatus floor.

“Out here we had squad, Capp, Tony, Hadley, and Lieutenant Severide,” Taylor introduced, rolling her eyes at the starstruck look on Porter’s face, “Sev, I’ve found you a new admirer.”

“Hey, I thought you were my admirer,” Severide argued.

“Admiration is like wisdom, you have to pass it on to the next generation eventually,” Taylor teased with a wink, causing squad to chuckle and turning her attention back to the candidates, “Our paramedics are currently out on a call, so I will introduce you to Gabby and Shay once they get back.”

Giving the newcomers a tour of the firehouse, Taylor took them back to the rec room and handed them both some food. She had just sat down to eat, when the alarms went off and she rushed out to the truck.

“Ferguson, you’ll go with truck,” Boden shouted as he headed towards the battalion SUV, “Porter, ride with squad.”

Laughing, Taylor sent Severide a grin and waited for Ferguson to join them before closing the door. Flames licked the charred windows of the house as they arrived on the scene, stepping back instinctively when one of the upstairs windows exploded outwards and sent shards of glass raining down on the garden below.

“Cruz take Ferguson and Mills with you to vent,” Casey instructed as everyone grabbed their gear, “The rest of us will do a primary search of the house.”

Putting on her mask, Taylor followed Casey inside and immediately started calling out for any victims inside. Signaling that she was heading upstairs, she carefully ascended the steps and made her way to the end of the hall.

“Firefighter, call out...” Taylor shouted, searching the first two rooms and finding nothing.

Entering the final room, she swept it and went to join the others on the ground floor. Clearing out when they found no one inside, Taylor removed her mask and turned to watch as engine 51 turned on their hoses.

“Taylor, do you remember what the first thing I taught you as a candidate was?” Casey asked as they all stood around with squad.

“Squad’s heads are too big for their helmets,” Taylor replied with a frown.

“After that...” Casey prompted with a grin.

“We go into every fire expecting the worst, but firefighting isn’t always about saving lives and sometimes a fire is just a fire,” Taylor stated.

Sitting in the truck as they headed back to the firehouse, Taylor listened as the older guys told Ferguson stories and imparted their own words of wisdom.

“Taylor, do you remember your first fire?” Ferguson inquired as they got off the truck, causing Taylor to freeze and nod in response, “What was it like?”

“I’m probably not the best person to ask.”

“I think they’d benefit from hearing something that we as firefighters have to deal with,”

“I wasn’t at 51 when I first left the academy, but my first fire was at a house a lot like the one we just came from...”

“What happened?” Porter asked as squad joined them.

“The fire was already out of control by the time we got there and the family inside didn’t stand a chance,” Taylor told them, swallowing past the lump in her throat and continuing, “They teach you so much at the academy, but nothing can prepare you for your first fatality and the overwhelming guilt you feel for not being able to save them.”

Walking away before anyone could speak, Taylor disappeared into the locker room and sat down on the bench with her head in her hands. Four people had died in the fire that day and it was something that Taylor would never forget, but she had seen enough good on the job to know that they made a difference.

Taking a deep breath, she headed back to the rec room to eat and nodded when Severide sent her a look that silently asked if she was okay. Grabbing herself a plate of food, she went to the table and took a seat. Pushing her food around on her plate, Taylor found that she wasn’t hungry and looked up as Casey nudged her shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to get some air,” Taylor mumbled, standing up and walking outside.

Leaning up against the front of the truck, she glanced up as Severide joined her and pulled her into his arms without a word.


	11. Chapter 11

Dinner time soon came around and Taylor happily threw herself into preparing the food, leaving the others to deal with the candidates. Ferguson soon gravitated over to her and leaned against the counter, opposite where Severide was sitting.   
   
“So, how long have you been a firefighter?” Ferguson asked Severide as Taylor finished seasoning the chicken breasts.   
   
“Since the day I was born,” Severide replied, snatching a piece of cheese and grinning as Taylor slapped his arm, “Never wanted to be anything else.”   
   
Spotting ambulance 61 pull onto the apparatus floor, Taylor watched as Shay walked in with Gabby and raised her eyebrows at the look of annoyance on their faces.   
   
“What happened to you two?” Otis inquired.   
   
“Our frequent flyer Kevin decided that today would be his day to get the girl,” Gabby explained, “After failing to kiss me, he settled for grabbing Shay’s ass and then threw up on the poor nurse that we handed him over to at the hospital.”   
   
“The wonderful life of a paramedic, ladies, and gentlemen,” Shay stated.   
   
“Shay, Gabby, meet our new candidates Ferguson and Porter,” Casey introduced, causing both women to wave and smile at the newcomers.   
   
“Hey, so I was thinking,” Severide said to Taylor as Shay and Gabby started questioning the candidates, “I’m heading to the docks tomorrow to work on a customer's boat, maybe you could come with me and hang out for a bit?”   
   
“Sure,” Taylor agreed with a smile.   
   
Adjusting the temperature on the oven as the alarm sounded, Taylor got changed and joined the crew on the truck. The scene that they were met with was chaotic and she got straight to work, rushing over to an SUV that seemed to have taken the worst of the collision.    
   
Hearing the sound of a baby crying, she looked through the shattered back window and immediately spotted the young boy in his car seat.   
   
“My son...” the driver mumbled as Taylor carefully removed him.    
   
“He’s okay,” Taylor reassured her, looking around for someone to take the baby from her and finding Ferguson standing around, watching squad cut a passenger out of another car nearby, “Ferguson.”   
   
Motioning for the other girl to join her, she handed the baby over and instructed her to take him over to the paramedics. Catching the strong smell of gasoline, Taylor dropped to the ground and used her flashlight to check underneath the SUV. Locating the leak, she stood up and kept calm as she returned her attention to getting the mother free.    
   
“What do you need me to do?” Ferguson asked as she came back to where Taylor was now attempting to open the door.   
   
“I need you to go get Severide for me,” Taylor told her quietly, “Tell him that the driver is trapped and that the vehicle is leaking gasoline, the severity of the lady’s injuries is unknown.”   
   
In order to keep the woman calm, Taylor started up a conversation to distract her and saw as the panic slowly dimmed in the woman, Cheryl’s eyes. Once squad joined her, she got into the passenger seat and placed a c-collar on the driver’s neck as a precaution.    
   
Giving Cheryl a quick check over, Taylor noticed that there was a significant amount of trauma to her legs and motioned for Severide to take a look.   
   
“Okay, let’s get this door open,” Severide said, “Cheryl, I need you to stay still for me...”   
   
Continuing the conversation, Taylor saw the flash of fear as Severide got the jaws ready and took Cheryl’s hand in her own. Getting Cheryl out of the car wasn’t an easy task, but finally, she was free and on her way to the hospital.   
   
   
Overhaul took longer than usual, but they were soon pulling into the firehouse and Taylor sorted out dinner. Taking her own plate to the table, she took a seat and ate in silence.   
   
“Looks like Ferguson has taken a liking to Severide,” Shay commented as she sat down opposite Taylor.   
   
“Well, I don’t own him...”   
   
“You’re dating though?”   
   
“We’ve been on one date and he’s invited me down to the docks tomorrow, but we haven’t made anything official,” Taylor replied quietly, “I don’t want to make this something that it isn’t.”   
   
Finishing her food, Taylor dropped her plate in the sink and went to finish her duties.


	12. Chapter 12

Taylor spent a lot of time with Severide over the next month, both on shift and during their downtime. Some of their days off would be spent at the docks, while others were spent helping Mrs. Caswell or eating out at different places around the city.   
   
Sitting on the kitchen counter of the apartment before work, Taylor stared tiredly into her fresh cup of coffee as Severide made pancakes and looked up when he spoke.   
   
“Can I ask you something?” he said, earning a nod from Taylor and continuing, “What are we?”   
   
“What do you mean?” Taylor replied with a frown.   
   
“I mean, are we still seeing where this thing takes us or are we a couple?”   
   
“Kelly Severide, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” Taylor teased, hoping that she had read the situation right and feeling her stomach churn nervously as she waited for an answer.   
   
“I am... but only if you’re ready to take that step with me.”   
   
“I’ve been ready for a while,” Taylor admitted with a smile, “What are we going to do about work though?”   
   
“We’ll tell them,” Severide stated with a shrug, placing pancakes on three plates, “We’ve technically been dating for the last month and it hasn’t affected our work, so Boden will be fine with it.”   
   
“Everyone will be fine with it, or they’ll have me to deal with,” Shay added, joining them and smiling at Taylor, “You worry too much.”   
   
They soon headed off to the firehouse and Taylor put her stuff in her locker, joining the rest of truck in the rec room. It was the end of October, which meant one thing at 51... Halloween and it had been decorated for just that occasion.    
   
Pumpkins had been carved and spiders hung from the ceiling, but it was the candy that had caught Taylor’s attention. Every year, Gabby brought in three large bags of candy and put them up on top of the kitchen cabinets with a warning to leave it alone.   
   
Stood by the truck helping Ferguson with inventory, Taylor heard her name being called and turned around to see Voight approaching her.   
   
“What do you want?” Taylor asked with a glare.    
   
“I need to have a word with you about your ex-beau.”   
   
“Fine, but I’m not talking to you alone.”   
   
“Anyone would think that you don’t trust me,” Voight commented with a smirk.    
   
“That’s because I don’t,” Taylor replied, noticing Voight’s gaze settle on something over her shoulder and turning to see Severide watching them closely, “Sev, can I borrow you for a minute?”   
   
“What’s going on?” Severide inquired as he followed them outside, standing beside Taylor with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on the man standing in front of them.   
   
“I just need to ask Taylor some questions about her ex, Greg Anderson.”   
   
“What about him?”   
   
“Have you seen him lately?”   
   
“Not since he turned up at Molly’s and got kicked out a couple of weeks ago, why?”   
   
“PD are trying to map out his movements by speaking to people that know him,” Voight told them, “Were you on good terms after the separation?”    
   
“He didn’t take it too well,” Taylor answered with a shrug, “He seemed to think that we’d get back together, but I made it clear that it was over for good and I had no intention of getting back into a relationship like that.”   
   
“Was the relationship bad?”   
   
“Greg is... Greg has a temper and he doesn’t care who’s on the receiving end of it,” Taylor admitted, feeling Severide tense at her side and refusing to look at him.   
   
“Do you think you could get him to meet you?”   
   
“I’ve spent the last six weeks trying to get him to leave me alone and now, you want me to arrange to meet him.”   
   
“We need to draw him out and you are our best option at doing it.”   
   
The thought of inviting Greg back into her life, even if it was just to draw him out for the police, scared her and put her on edge.   
   
“What would she have to do?” Severide asked, stepping closer to Taylor and placing his hand on her lower back in comfort.   
   
“We’d just need her to arrange to meet him somewhere,” Voight explained, “Obviously, she’d have to show up, but it would be under the close supervision of PD and they’d grab him as soon as he showed.”   
   
“I’ll do it,” Taylor agreed reluctantly, “I have one condition though...”   
   
“Anything.”   
   
“I want Antonio to be involved.”   
   
“That can be arranged,” Voight promised, “Send the details of the meeting to Antonio, once you know and I’ll have a team ready to move.”   
   
Offering nothing more than a nod in response, Taylor watched as Voight left and swallowed nervously. Glancing up at Severide, she pulled out her phone and sent Greg a quick text asking him to meet her.   
   
Walking away before Severide could speak, she returned to the truck rig and finished helping Ferguson with the truck inventory. Sat in the rec room watching television a few hours later, Taylor felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out to find a text from Greg.   
   
 _‘Tonight 7pm. The park.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
